Sundown on the data center

Our neighborhood has its very own data center down on st Jacques street. Maybe that is where my blog exists? Who knows. In this view, I tried to show the wide, flower-filled ditch (moat?) that encircles the center, with interesting trees backlit by a setting sun. The center is composed onto the right edge. 

Sundown on the data center, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

A security guard was taking a break, sitting in the shade and looking at a cellphone. I was standing up on a small hill that separates the center from st Jacques street. Where I was standing is completely open to the public, like a small grassy expanse. The guard was behind a tall fence, that I omitted from these paintings.  

Security break data center, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

The structure is a confusing array of various facades and panelling. The building was probably something else beforehand, and it was retrofitted to be a data center. Its a lot smaller than the ones we see on the news now-a-days. 

Data center puzzle, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

Dirt bags in the parking lot

Down at the RENO+ at the end of Harley street, I caught this view of the facade with colourful bags of dirt stacked up in the foreground. The yellow facade was done with a grey-blue under-painting, with a layer of bismuth vanadate yellow (PY184) on top. 

Dirt bags yellow storefront, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

Another painting from the same location, composed on a horizontal, shows stacks of dirt bags in shadow from surrounding trees. A few cars and a professional building can be seen in the background. 

Dirt bags parking lot horizontal, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

Its  the same location looking left towards the greenhouse area, tree shadows were falling over a small berm of grass onto the stacked bags. Dirt bags have never looked so good in a painting! 

Dirt bags parking lot vaertical,watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026 

Curio Folio: 3-sided toilette paper

As my regular readers know, I have a "Curio Folio", its a collection of artwork based on real-life, very true and accurate objects and ideas that have rarely been seen of heard of before. Its taken after the curio cabinet, a 19th century popularity where people put cool unusual items in a cabinet. Today's entry is something very new and different. Recently I signed up for a product-testing club where I get coupons in return for testing out new products. I am not allowed to take photos of the products, but I am still free to write my thoughts on the blog, and show an artist's depiction in watercolour. Its 3-sided toilette paper! Not 3 ply.... it literally has 3 sides to it, as you see in the painting. Rolled with a unique triangular cardboard tube, the paper guarentees you get 33% more use out of each sheet, and the wedge shape of the triangle helps too. I mean, I can't really tell you what it was like, because this blog has some modicum of decency, but you can well imagine. To be honest, its probably not going to take off. My main feedback to the company was it should probably be hexagon-shaped to get up to 6 times more value.  

Curio Folio: 3-sided toilette paper, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, August 2026

Looking back: London Ontario, mallards, winter, campus, trains

Probably done around 1997 on location in London Ontario, these are some early winter paintings. The mallard ducks were having none of it though, people had been feeding them and they were happy to hang around! 

Mallards winter, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, ~1997

Nowadays I would have put my initials on it, but here I added UWO, or, University of Western Ontario. I was probably sitting on the bleachers to make this painting. Middlesex tower is visible in the background.

 UWO scoreboard, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, ~1997

A view downtown from along the Thames river, looking at an office tower with trees in the foreground. I did not have perylene green at the time, but made a pretty good dark green probably with viridian hue (PG7) and alizarin crimson (PR83). Alizarin crimson has very poor stability and I completely dropped it in 2020, switched to perylene maroon (PY179) and quinacridone magenta (PR122). 

Office tower winter trees, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, ~1997

Another one of my favorites from the era, I was standing with my bike on a train bridge looking towards downtown in the distance. The sun was just coming through the overcast clouds, making a blue-grey tint in the distance, and reflective highlights on the train tracks. 

Sun glow city train tracks, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, ~1997

 Vague memories, but I believe its after the winter of 97-98, so April or may of 1998. It has a great atmospheric quality, although I had a bad habit of painting things crooked. It wasn't until the epic 68 stations of the Montreal metro series that I finally learned to paint buildings straight. 

Glass tunnel campus early spring, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, 1998

Looking back: London Ontario, winter, roots, guppy

Its rare but this painting had the date painted on the back, February 1997. That would be a little over a year of painting on location, and my second winter of painting outdoors. I actually started watercolour painting in 1989 but only did florals and photo copies until 1995. 

Ice breakup Thames, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, February 1997

I believe that this old CN train building is gone now, its where I used to buy train tickets on the bottom floor to go back to Bolton, via Brampton. I used to add vodka to the painting water, but it this temperature, around -10℃ it turns to slush any-ways. Nowadays I use salt in the water.

Old CN building, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, 1997

A pine tree in the park, surrounded by snow. I made sure to mark the temperature down (-10℃). At the time it was a record for me, to paint in such cold weather. My record now, for painting on location in the winter, is -26℃ (-14.8 F) with -39℃ (-38.2 F) windchill, the painting is called icy cold on campus. 

Winter pine tree, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, 1997

Here is a scene from around the backwoods of north London Ontario, looking down a cliff to a small river, with tree roots hanging over the ledge. I like the atmospheric effect of the river and distant trees, with a neat patterns of root formation. 

Roots on cliff river, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, 2002

Probably done in Montreal, here is a painting of one of my guppies, with a fancy red and orange tail. By the way, due to all the rain non-stop I have not painted outside for a few days, but I have queued up some new Curio Folio ideas due to popular demand!  

Guppy, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press

Looking back: London Ontario couch, campus scenes

Here are a few more London Ontario scenes, from the year 2000 give or take. If I had to pick one my personal favorite paintings from that era, its this one, a couch and garbage bag out on the curb. With an amazing attention to detail, the textures are wonderful on the beat up old furniture and shiny garbage bags with yellow pull ties. A shrubbery, car and front porch can be seen in the background. 

Couch garbage bags on curb, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press,

Three of my favorite things to paint, construction vehicle, truck trailer, and a portable toilette! I was mixing cerulean blue into the shadows which gave a soft, pleasing tone. Unfortunately it was hard to control and could become heavy and mucky in many paintings. Its a good trick for grey or blue/green shadows. 

Construction trailer port-o-let, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press,

A campus scene from up on the hill, looking towards the music building. In the background you see spring time trees with lime green foliage appearing, and the London downtown skyline. I have a stack of the "A" paintings from London, I will scan through them and post from time to time so we can all take a trip down memory lane. 

Campus passageway spring, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press,

Le Plateau alleys and depot hilltop

Making my way out to Little Italy, I made this painting of a back alley looking out onto st Laurent street in the background. The building on the right is the rear of Anatol spices where I buy bulk food all the time. The store emits a very interesting spice smell into the alley. Its the best-smelling alleyway in Montreal! 

Anatol alley, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

 

Le Plateau is known for its alleys, they are lush green spaces with landscaped gardens, terraces and fancy balconies. Many of the buildings are renovated in this neighborhood, its probably not cheap to live here. 

Le Plateau alley, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

 

On Bellechasse near st Laurent, they built an enormous bus depot, I did a painting of it under construction back in 2019. Like everything in Le Plateau, the citizens are extremely active and opinionated regarding development projects, so this one received a terraced roof planted with wild flowers, decorative grass and pine trees. I was standing near the top of it, a gravel path connects down to the sidewalk. Glad the citizens fought for this, I can return and do more paintings here.  

Bus depot hilltop horizontal, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

 

Trying a vertical composition this time, the painting shows an old warehouse with water tower in the background (without the graffiti), and the hilltop wildflowers with gravel path in the foreground. It started to rain here so I left the location. Its neat up here, lots of yellow and violet flowers, and there were probably even more flowers earlier in the summer. There are great views from up here and its relatively quiet. That's Mount Royal in the background. 

Bus depot hilltop vertical, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026